Barneys New York has reached a settlement—in the form of $525,000 in fees and penalties—in an investigation launched last year following accusations that the company was targeting minority customers. The nine-month investigation led by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman found a "disproportionate number of African-American and Latino customers being detained for alleged shoplifting or credit card fraud."

The New York Daily News is reporting this morning that a local teen is suing the NYPD and Barneys after he was handcuffed and detained for buying an expensive belt that police officers couldn't believe a "young, black male" like him could afford.

Say hello to Cassius Marcellus Cornelius Clay, a Yale sophomore whose life changed at Barneys one day, when fashionable rapper Kanye West complimented him on his shoes and, eventually, invited the lad to travel the world as Kanye's right-hand man.

In honor of Anna Wintour's fake charity Fashion's Night Out, Barneys New York commissioned doll maker Andrew Yang to produce a doll of the Vogue editrix. (Pins not included.) There's also one of Vogue hero Grace Coddington for cuddling.

Ron Burkle—the party-loving supermarket mogul, celebrity hanger-on, and owner of precisely one outfit that he wears 365 days a year—is "angling to take a controlling stake in Barneys," according to the Wall Street Journal. You're going to have your work cut out for you, Simon Doonan. [WSJ]

Barneys creative director, fashion guru, window dresser extraordinaire, and author Simon Doonan has been tapped by the Obamas to decorate the White House for the holidays. Best Christmas in DC ever? Quite possibly! Provided he steers clear of blood spatter this time around, that is! [NYT]

• Is Barneys headed for bankruptcy? Once again, some are suggesting the retailer may go bust, or at least be forced to partner with another company. And once again, Barneys' owner, Dubai-based Istithmar, is reiterating that it remains "fully committed" to the chain. [BN, AP]
• Every other celebrity has a clothing line. Now news personalities are getting in on the action: Al Roker is reportedly in talks with Weatherproof to start up a line of "rain jackets, coats, footwear and cold weather accessories." [WWD]
• A PR agency staffer is accused of ripping off nearly $100K in jewelry. [NYP]

A recent study found that Manhattan was far thinner than the rest of the nation, so the Times sent someone out to ask the locals what they thought about it all and happened to run into an old Gawker pal.

• The Barneys display featuring mannequins being attacked and blood spatter on the windows has been dismantled. Barneys creative director Simon Doonan says they had been put up while he was out of town, but they "clearly crossed the line," and so he ordered them taken down. [NYDN]
• Fashion Week kicks off in just seven weeks. The good news is that it probably won't be quite as gloomy this time around. [Cut, WWD]
• Anna Wintour didn't produce or direct The September Issue, the new documentary about Vogue. But that doesn't seem to be stopping her from being "completely controlling" about publicity for the movie. [NYDN]
• Breaking! Michelle Obama unveiled a totally new hairdo today. [Cut]

• A new survey finds that New York City is no longer the fashion capital of the universe. For the first time in five years, NYC came in second place and Milan snagged the top slot. Or at least this is what a research firm based in Austin, Texas is now claiming. [NYDN]
• The best and worst in July fashion mags. [Cut]
• It looks like Anna Wintour has decided to embrace The September Issue, the forthcoming doc about Vogue's inner workings: Anna herself will be hosting a "splashy" screening next month. [FWD]
• Jason Wu on his morning ritual (espresso at Starbucks, in the office by 10am) and his roommates (his two cats, Jinxy and Peaches). [Times UK]
• Christian Siriano's latest collaboration? It's with Starbucks, apparently. [Cut]

• Photos of Sacha Baron Cohen (as Brüno) and Alessandra Ambrosio from the new issue of British Marie Claire are now online, if you're interested. Or, if you prefer, you can take a gander at a nude Bar Refaeli on the cover of Esquire. [Marie Claire, Esquire]
• After many months of hemming and hawing, it looks like Roberto Cavalli has finally decided to sell a stake in his company. [WSJ]
• Vogue's André Leon Talley reports Anna Wintour was "thrilled" with how her "fabulous" 60 Minutes profile turned out a couple of weeks ago, you'll ubdoubtedly be pleased to hear. [FBNY]
• It's been a year since Barneys started looking for a CEO, which may be one reason why the company has had so many trouble as of late. [WSJ]

June 2 @ 3pm Just had a VPOTUS sighting… Joe Biden on Madison Ave walking out of Barneys, now he is somewhere on 61st. [Submit your own Gawker Stalker sightings to stalker@gawker.com]

The Journal reports that Barneys plans to close two of its seven stores as it tries to stay afloat. One outpost that is definitely going to disappear: the splashy store it opened in Las Vegas last year. And the other? "The location of the other store to be closed couldn't be immediately determined." We're going to guess that it won't be the flagship on Madison Avenue, but you may want to say a prayer or two today just in case. [WSJ]

• Salma Hayek wore a lovely gown by Balenciaga for her wedding to François-Henri Pinault, an entirely appropriate choice given Pinault's PPR happens to own Balenciaga. [Vogue UK, NYDN]
• Diane von Furstenberg says she's absolutely "mortified" that one of her jackets resembles an item designed by the Canadian label Mercy. A full investigation is underway, however. [WWD]
• "Washington, D.C., is the new New York," or so says Vogue's Billy Norwich. [Style.com]
• Sad, possibly true: "The client most crucial to luxury goods purveyors is no longer a Rockefeller but a Real Housewife of New York." [NYT]
• If your boyfriend/husband's birthday is coming up, be advised that Barneys is having a massive menswear sale next Monday. [Racked]

• Barneys' owner pumped more cash into the struggling retailer today, which will allow it to pay for its shipments for the rest of the year. And thank goodness for that! [Reuters]
• Rumor has it Madonna will return as the face of Louis Vuitton this fall. [NYM]
• Rocawear's roving pop up shop—a 50-foot-long tractor-trailer filled with zebra-striped furniture—rolled into town today. [Racked]
• Getting married? Bridal dresses at Vera Wang are now 50 percent off. [NYM]

• The model-centric cover of the May issue of Vogue—timed to coincide with the model-centric Costume Institute Gala, of course—has been revealed. And for the third month in a row, a black woman (Liya Kebede) makes an appearance. [Style.com, The Cut]
• Oscar de la Renta appeared on The View today to try and dig himself out of the giant PR hole that followed his not-so-sweet comments about Michelle Obama in recent weeks. [Jezebel]
• Speaking of the First Lady, she's added a full-time makeup artist to her traveling entourage, just in case you happen to be keeping tabs on the White House payroll. [NYP]

• Is Anne Hathaway going to replace Victoria Beckham as Marc Jacobs' latest muse? That's the rumor, at least. [Daily Mail]
• One more rumor: It's said Olivier Theyskens may be taking over at Halston. [Hint]
• It's not all bad news on Madison Avenue: Jil Sander and Nanette Lepore both have stores opening in the next few months. [FWD]
• Lindsay Lohan's latest brand extension? A line of panty hose, naturally. [WWD]
• Barneys is getting a small (but much-needed) infusion of cash. [NYP]
• Filene's Basement is not bankrupt. Not yet, at least. [NYP]
• Jessica Joffe goes topless for Katy Rodriguez. [Pipeline]
• The Cut has the list of every piece of clothing Michelle Obama wore on her trip overseas. And it includes the Alaïa cardigan that she wore twice. [NYM]

Exciting news, Lauren Bush fans: The most popular member of the Bush clan unveiled her new clothing line at Barneys today, and there was nary a scrap of burlap in sight! A step in the right direction? Possibly! Bush says the "mission" of the line, which is named Lauren Pierce after her first and middle names, "is about the fabrics and the cause." "I didn't want it to be about my personality," she explained. We're hardly fashion branding experts, but if you'd prefer your line to be more closely identified with your "mission" as opposed to your "personality," is it really the best idea to name it after yourself? At least she was thoughtful enough to do away with any association to her not-so-popular uncle, which should count for something. [VF, previously]

• Barneys is trimming staff: The company cut 76 jobs today. [Crains]
• Topshop's signage is here! And a whole bunch of people will be on hand for the big opening on April 1, naturally. [Racked, NYP]
• Sign o' the times: The old New York sign in Midtown has been replaced by one for Burberry. [Racked]
• The Valentino doc did pretty well for itself its opening weekend. [FWD]
• Tiffany posted a sharp drop in fourth quarter profit. [NYT]
• Remember those fish pedicures that generated so much press a few months back? You may want to note the practice is now banned in 14 states. [WSJ]

• Big day for Britney: Her Circus tour kicks off this evening in New Orleans where she'll be wearing elaborate costumes designed by DSquared2. She was also named Candie's new spokesmodel, so she's got that going for her, too. [Vogue UK, SW]
• Barneys is not for sale, or at least that's what the CEO of the retailer's parent company is saying. [WWD]
• Trouble at the Plaza: Half the stores in the basement shopping mall are demanding lower rents. [NYP]
• Poor Dasha Zhukova. Fashion insiders have been laughing about her new job at Pop and now Daphne Guinness says she's having no part in it. [Fashionista]
• A peek at Tracy Feith's new line for Target, which debuts in May. [Racked]
• Reports from the final day of Milan Fashion Week. [NYT, NYT]
• Paris Fashion Week begins tomorrow. But not before fashion's A-list convened for one last party in Milan last night, of course. [Fashionologie]